The ink-black twilight devoured the last traces of daylight.

Gu Ming and his two companions picked their way across the loose stones to the edge of a cliff, overlooking the valley below.

A dense, green mist churned within the valley, like a boiling cauldron of Spiritual Spring.

Occasionally, a few specks of fluorescent light pierced the mist, like stars that had fallen to earth.

Wang Teng’s Dumb Flower suddenly trembled its leaves, emitting an excited HUMMM.

The flower bud on its head quivered, pointing toward the center of the misty night sea, at a glowing Spirit Tree.

The Life Breath there was so rich that even Cyan Treasure could sense its intense fluctuations. It sent both Grass Element Pet Beasts into a frenzy, and a powerful urge to eat stirred within them.

"What is that?" Lu You murmured to herself beside Gu Ming, cradling her fluffy, round Sunflower Seed-eating Hamster.

At that moment, Mouse Treasure was curled up in her arms, its tiny paws clutching her braid, its eyes half-lidded.

Hearing its master’s voice, it opened its round eyes and peered toward the herb garden in the valley.

It was night now, and the sky was dotted with countless stars. It was as if the light of the Milky Way had spilled into the mortal realm, making the valley look like a fairyland.

Suddenly, Mouse Treasure’s stomach began to RUMBLE. It, too, had sensed an extremely delicious Earth Element Spiritual Medicine, one that might help it grow bigger.

Gu Ming followed Lu You’s gaze. His eyes swept across the valley, but he couldn’t make anything out, only a shroud of clouds and mist.

"Let’s go in and take a look," Gu Ming said.

The two small teams descended the mountain path together, entering the herb garden in the valley.

A dazzling array of various Spirit Medicines met their eyes, almost too much to take in at once.

Several person-high stalks of Cyan Dew Grass grew from the crevices in the rocks.

The pale cyan dewdrops condensing on the leaves were as lustrous as jade. They dripped slowly to the ground, forming a small, shimmering pool.

That was the main ingredient for Cyan Dew Rejuvenating Powder.

The Little Cyan Snake, Cyan Treasure, curled in the crook of his arm, flicked its tongue. Its nose twitched nonstop, clearly interested in this Spirit Medicine that could repair its scales.

The students from Yangyang High School left one Pet Beast to stand guard outside the garden and took the path on the left.

Gu Ming went to collect the dewdrops for the Rejuvenating Powder, then turned and had Dumb Flower determine their direction.

"Which way is that amazing thing you sensed earlier?" Gu Ming asked.

Upon hearing him, Dumb Flower extended its long roots into the ground. After sensing for a few seconds, it pointed to the fork in the path to their front right—the opposite direction from the Yangyang High School students.

’This way, our teams won’t have to fight over the rare herbs,’ he thought. ’That saves us some trouble.’

"Let’s head in this direction, then."

The three of them forged ahead, and the Spiritual Mist in the herb garden gradually thinned.

The first thing to come into view was a knee-high patch of heart-shaped clovers.

Each leaflet was a perfect heart shape, with milky-white sap flowing through its veins.

Dumb Flower hadn’t even gotten close before its large petals started to tremble. The eyes on its trunk narrowed, and sap began to stream down—it was drooling.

Wang Teng crouched down and lightly touched a leaflet. Pale green motes of light immediately floated up and landed on a cut on the back of his hand, instantly easing the stinging pain.

"What is this? I’ve never seen it in any of my textbooks."

He wondered aloud, pinching a leaflet between his fingertips and holding it up to the moonlight to observe.

He could faintly make out tiny serrations along the leaflet’s edge. The heart-shaped center reflected a patch of white, shimmering in harmony with the moonlight above.

After staring at it for ten seconds, he could feel Moonlight Power lingering in its veins. It seemed to possess a combination of medicinal effects.

’Out in the real world, a plant like this would be an incredibly precious Spirit Medicine,’ he thought. ’It’s even helpful for Two-star Pet Beasts, who could consume it as a primary ingredient.’

Dumb Flower had already run up to him, its maw wide open, making hungry noises.

Gu Ming had never seen this plant before, either. With no signal on his phone, he couldn’t look it up. The only way to determine its properties and how to use it would be through experimentation.

But just then, text appeared in his system’s plot commentary feed. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"You have taken out a Moon Heart Four-leaf Clover. This plant has absorbed Moonlight Power and possesses a rich Life Energy."

"The three-leaf version is of normal quality. The four-leaf version is of rare quality and possesses an additional rare Luck Attribute. It can be used to craft a Moonlight-Specialized Cyan Dew Awakening Powder, which boosts a Pet Beast’s Grass Element Affinity, Moonlight Power Affinity, and its rare Luck Attribute."

"Let me see... This is a Moon Heart Three-leaf Clover. It contains Moonlight Power and can boost Moonlight Power Affinity."

Gu Ming reached out, took the heart-shaped three-leaf clover, and pretended to think for a moment before speaking.

’This is clearly a three-leaf clover, not a four-leaf one, but since the system said so...’

Gu Ming slipped it into his pocket, deciding to wait and see if it would change.

"There are a few more on the ground. Let’s gather them first, then see if we can find the other main and secondary ingredients we need," Gu Ming said.

’The system said there was only one,’ Gu Ming thought, ’so picking up more won’t make them change into four-leaf clovers.’

’It’s better if my companions pick them up.’

Lu You and Wang Teng both got looks on their faces as if they’d just learned something valuable, and they bent down to pick the clovers.

Dumb Flower, very excited, continued to lead the way. It pushed aside a patch of shrubbery, revealing a large bed of mint leaves ahead.

These weren’t ordinary mint leaves; they were translucent, with patterns of ice-blue light flowing through their veins.

When Dumb Flower gently touched a leaf, it released a refreshingly cool fragrance.

At this, something in Ah Kun’s DNA stirred. Sensing the allure of a Water Element Spirit Medicine, it manipulated the water vapor in the air to carry it, gliding over to Dumb Flower’s side.

Ah Kun stared at the translucent, icy mint leaves, its mouth watering with desire.

’Can I have some?’

It looked up at Gu Ming.

Gu Ming checked his system again, but there were no special notes, only that it was a supplementary ingredient for the Cyan Dew Rejuvenating Powder, albeit one of an exceptionally high grade.

"There’s plenty of mint. You can eat a few leaves. We’ll save the rest for making medicine," Gu Ming said.

The deeper they ventured into the valley, the more peculiar the Spirit Medicines became.

Before long, they had gathered all the main and secondary ingredients for the Cyan Dew Rejuvenating Powder.

Gu Ming’s mind was still on the moonlight-specialized Spirit Medicine the system had mentioned.

He knew of Cyan Dew Rejuvenating Powder. It was a high-quality, One-star Spirit Medicine used to heal Pet Beasts, restore Life Energy, and allow wounds to heal on their own.

However, the common ingredients listed in his textbooks didn’t include this heart-shaped clover.

’Maybe this is a Spirit Medicine developed by alchemists in a future timeline,’ he mused.

「About fifteen minutes later.」

The group gradually approached the center of the valley’s herb garden, where the Spiritual Mist grew thick once more.

In a patch of purplish-black shrubs, fist-sized Hive Fruits hung heavy, their shells covered in fine, dense pores.

From ten meters away, they could faintly hear the buzzing of wings.

Dumb Flower’s mouth watered at the sight, but when Wang Teng heard the buzzing, his expression changed completely.

"Those are Stinging Bees! Be careful, they’re social creatures.

"When they swarm, they leave the nest by the hundreds. They target people first, then Pet Beasts, which makes them a huge counter to us Beastmasters."

Wang Teng explained, adding that he had learned this from his private tutor.

There were always some nasty surprises you had to deal with in the provincial trials. They were probably unofficial additions snuck in by some of the examiners to make many a talented candidate fail over the years.

No matter how well-trained or powerful a Pet Beast was, facing hundreds of One-star Realm Stinging Bees was an insurmountable problem.

His tutor’s special lessons had burned the sound of this bee-type Spirit Beast into Wang Teng’s memory; he couldn’t forget it even if he wanted to.

That’s because, for one of his real-world lessons, his tutor had actually borrowed this type of bee Spirit Beast to sting him.

Understanding the danger, Gu Ming immediately changed their course, detouring to the other side.

Dumb Flower’s leaves suddenly began to tremble. It pointed past the shrubs, where several two-meter-tall Starlight Spirit Trees stood.

Their canopies were umbrella-shaped, and every leaf emitted a soft, fluorescent glow. Tiny motes of starlight flowed along the leaves’ edges, making the surrounding mist shimmer like a dream-like starscape.

The moment they saw the trees, Cyan Treasure and Dumb Flower stared, transfixed. An uncontrollable hunger washed over them, and they instantly lost all reason.